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Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Reissue Stop Bar Semi-hollow Electric Guitar - Murphy Lab Light Aged Watermelon Red

Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar with Maple/Poplar Body, Mahogany Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Watermelon Red
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Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Reissue Stop Bar Semi-hollow Electric Guitar - Murphy Lab Light Aged Watermelon Red
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Meticulous Reissue of a Legendary Electric Guitar

From blues to jazz to rock, there’s just no substitute for the vibrant tone and supreme playing comfort of the Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Reissue Light Aged semi-hollowbody electric guitar. Its iconic semi-hollow body with a sustain-enhancing, feedback-fighting center block, Custombucker Alnico III pickups, and custom wiring harness make this ’59 ES-355 Reissue play and sound like a coveted classic, while its scrumptious Murphy Lab aged finish gives you the look and feel of a prized vintage treasure. A super-stable solid mahogany neck and Plek’d solid ebony fretboard with rolled binding gives this premium guitar a smooth, precision feel to accommodate diverse playing styles. The Gibson Custom ’59 ES-355 Reissue is a meticulous reissue of a legendary electric guitar that helped shape the sound of modern music.

Artfully aged in Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab

Under the leadership of Master Artisan Tom Murphy, Gibson Custom Shop’s Murphy Lab performs one specific function: to craft artfully aged instruments using the most cutting-edge tools available. These guitars are targeted to one of four distinct levels of age and wear, ranging from Ultra-Light to Ultra-Heavy. This 1959 ES-355 Reissue features Light aging with intense, unique lacquer checking patterns, along with dings, pick trails, finish flaking, and softened edges. It’s akin to a guitar that was subjected to 50-plus years of average playing use. VOS patina hardware puts the final touch on this exquisite instrument.

Legendary tone from Alnico III Custombuckers

Guitarists at Sweetwater absolutely adore the Custom Shop Alnico III Custombucker pickups in the ’59 ES-355 Reissue. Each with its own volume and tone controls, these unpotted pickups will let you nail chimey country licks as easily as you dial in searing rock tones. Catnip for tube amplifiers, these Custombuckers deliver classic tone for everything from warm jazz to dirty blues. And handwired with CTS audio taper pots and paper-in-oil capacitors, you’ll have nearly endless tone-shaping control at your fingertips.

Handcrafted by Gibson’s elite luthiers

Painstakingly handcrafted by Gibson’s elite luthiers in the company’s Nashville Custom Shop using only the finest materials, the 1959 ES-355 Reissue — like every Gibson Custom guitar — receives an ultra-precise Plek Pro setup, which optimizes the fretboard and nut for incredibly accurate intonation and a “just right” feel. This model features rounded cutaways, a medium “C” neck profile scanned from Golden-era originals, period-correct block inlays, Grover tuners, and vintage-replica parts. Fine details like the solid ebony fingerboard and the 17-degree headstock angle not only add to the amazing tone and feel of this guitar, they remain true to the Gibson’s illustrious ES series legacy.

Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Reissue Light Aged Semi-hollow Electric Guitar Features:

  • Superb Murphy Lab Light Aged finish and VOS patina gold hardware
  • Maple/poplar/maple semi-hollow body with center block
  • Authentic ’59 medium “C” neck profile and solid ebony fingerboard with rolled binding
  • Specially calibrated, unpotted Custombucker Alnico III pickups
  • 3-way toggle switch; 2 volume, 2 tone controls; CTS audio taper pots and paper-in-oil capacitors
  • Adjustable ABR-1 bridge; lightweight aluminum stopbar
  • Grover tuners
  • Handcrafted in Gibson’s Nashville Custom Shop
  • Hardshell case included

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Semi-hollowbody
  • Body Shape 1959 ES-355
  • Body Material 3-ply Maple/Poplar
  • Body Finish Nitrocellulose Lacquer, Light Aged
  • Color Watermelon Red
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Mahogany
  • Neck Shape Authentic '59 Medium C
  • Neck Joint Set Neck
  • Radius 12"
  • Fingerboard Material Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay 1950s Pattern Mother-of-Pearl
  • Number of Frets 22, Medium Jumbo
  • Scale Length 24.75"
  • Nut Width 1.6875"
  • Nut Material Nylon
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece ABR-1 Adjustable Bridge with Lightweight Aluminum Stopbar Tailpiece
  • Tuners Grover
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Custombucker Alnico 3 Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup Custombucker Alnico 3 Humbucker
  • Controls 2 x volume, 2 x tone
  • Switching 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings Gibson, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Hardshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 59ES355LAWMGH1

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